the frugal traveler checks out NYC's bike share prices for visitors. the day rate became available this past sunday. the cost? well, seems more than the cost of a subway trip and a transfer. since these bikes are meant to be transportation alternatives, and not for recreation, this seems a little strange. but it is new york after all, where things are going to be expensive. london, a city some say is even more expensive than nyc (i've never been to london, so i can't say for sure), costs £3, or about $4.50. nyc? $10+
foto by flickr user ngolebiewski
maybe since these bikes come with their own locking mechanism when you park them, it's worth it? makes me wonder what SF will do with its own pricing whenever we get bikeshares of this magnitude.
hmm. not sure what to think about this development right now, but
check out the article for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments!
That is outrageous! Bikeshare sponsored by citibank, no less. Velib (Paris) and Bixi (Montreal & Toronto) are way cheaper. And btw, not a huge difference, but £3 is about $4.50. Is the $10+ price tag a day pass or a one time use pass, and if so how long do you get to use it?
ReplyDeleteoops i meant to say $4, before my morning tea! updated in the post. thanks for pointing it out.
Deleteas far as it goes, i believe it's a day pass and for 30 minutes each ride. so it would be purely for transportation, not a joy ride.
Maybe NY bikeshare is supposed to be comparable to cab fare and not the subway.
ReplyDeleteit is possible that's the case. it's also sponsored by citibank, and i am sure is subsidized to an extent. i'm sure it's not cheap to run, no one is saying that. just curious why so high.
Deletei was recently in mexico city, as i mentioned above. the cost of a train ride in an enormous city is approx 30 CENTS. insane. and it was pretty efficient. got us to where we needed to go, or it connected us to other transportation options.
London is maybe even less than you said:
ReplyDeleteFor a single use it's £2 day-pass. If you put the bike back within 30 minutes, there's no extra cost (you can take it out as many times as you want, but each ride has to be < 30 minutes :). 30-mins to 1-hour is £1.
Although fairly expensive, it's WAY cheaper than the underground (an anytime zone 1-3 costs £11!)
I don't live in London, but occasionally have to go there, and will always hire the bikes now. Also it seems to be getting nicer for cycling each time I go :)
even more support for how ridiculous the nyc prices are! :) thanks for the info! really appreciate the first hand knowledge. that said, i can't wait to go to nyc myself to see how this all works.
Delete